The New Girl
by Arianna Lee
Summary: Al and Ed find a little girl, a traumatized girl by the looks of it. But one day, only Al comes home, in a state of shock. Will he recover his brother's tragic death? Furthermore, what will happen that will change the course of history forever?
1. Meeting

**A/N: This is my first angsty Elric fanfiction. Please enjoy it. **

**No flaming because flames make Arianna unhappy. And I don't like being unhappy. **

**I'm trying, okay? Really, I am. Any suggestions; tell me! I will fix it! I'm usually a good writer so I've been told... but lately I can't write as well. **

**Gomen nasai~ **

Summary: Al and Ed find a little girl in a tunnel, a traumatized girl by the looks of it. Seeing how she has no family, she is taken in by them only to be sent to Mustang's house every time they have a mission. But one day, only Al comes home, in a state of shock. Will he recover his brother's tragic death? Will he ever be able to look into Shelby's eyes the same way ever again? 

"Brother, I'm scared." Al said for the third time since they'd entered the damp, dark tunnel. Drops of water fell from the roof every now and then, making a small, echoing _dink_ as they fell into a pre-made puddle below. The blond never replied to his brother, staring off into space, trying to hear the name. "Brother?" Al asked, concerned now. "Shh!" Ed said, holding his hand up to Al's face. "Annicka!" They heard a girls voice scream from a room in the back of the long tunnel. Ed gave Al no chance to ask questions, he dashed off before Al could even open his mouth. Sobbing was heard from a corridor that branched off from the tunnel, just as dark but steeper and slowly filling with water. The ground was murky and as Ed made his way to the room, he lost his shoes, one at a time, in muck. "Hello?" He said quietly, not wanting to scare whoever was there. He leaned over and peeked into the room, seeing a small child huddled in a corner, hiding her face and crying. Hearing his voice, the girl slowly looked up, staring straight at Ed with golden-hazel eyes that matched his perfectly. Slowly, Ed walked over and sat down next to her. The water was already up to her elbows when she was sitting and on the steeper side of the room, it'd engulfed a small cot. "Who's Annicka?" He asked her quietly, putting a hand on her head. She pointed towards the cot and Ed looked slowly. There was a girl laying on the cot, eyes closed, paler than the purest snow. Had she been alive, Ed was sure she'd have been a very respected child.

_"Anni-chan... I don't think we should come in here anymore. It's very wet and dark." Shelby whispered as the sisters made their way to the back of their tunnel, fifty feet underground as opposed to the leveled part they were walking on now, that was hardly twenty or so feet underground. "It's always wet and dark, you fool." Annicka replied rudely. "Now keep walking!" A small, inaudible whimper escaped Shelby's lips but she continued following her older sister. When they finally made it, Annicka flopped down on the cot on the farside of the room and watched Shelby, who had taken a seat on a rocking chair with a book to read. Thunder crashed fifty feet above in the city of Central, rain slamming down over the streets and dribbling underground through the open hole into the tunnel their parents had made as teenagers and covered with a wooden box. A small river formed, branching off into the three different corridors and slowly filling the gaps of the steepest parts of the tunnel. "Sister?" Shelby asked, waking up from the small nap she'd taken to fight her fears of storms. Her sister was laying face down on the cot, the water covering most of her body. "Sister?" She repeated, getting up and slinking through the water that raised up to her hips and flipping her sister over, using all her strength. Her face was pale, her mouth a small bit open, eyes closed, she was colder than ice and no air escaped her parted lips. "Annicka?" The nine year old whined, nudging her sister. "Anni-chan, wake up... the rain finally stopped and the water is really cold." Shivering, Shelby tried again. "Annicka!" There was no response. Her sister was gone, Shelby knew it. _

_Screaming, the small child slunk to a less steep corner where the freezing water was only up to her knees in sitting position. "Annicka!" She cried, tears leaking down her cheeks. "I'm scared, Annicka! Please, wake up, Annicka!" Sobbing, the small child pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees, allowing her long brunette hair to hang like a curtain over all open spaces between her legs and her body. Her heart was racing and her body was shaking from both the cold water and the fear she had. There was no more family for her. She'd never been underground without her sister. Never climbed ten feet worth of a ladder to get out. She never had to. But now she did, and she was horrified._

Scooping the girl up, Ed gave her a gentle smile. "I'm Edward Elric, you can call me Ed. What's your name?" She watched him, her eyes red and puffy from so many tears. "I'm Shelby Jolie. You can call me Shelby." She choked out, her voice cracking. "It's going to be alright, we'll get you home safe. Where do you live?" Shelby held up a small finger, pointing back behind her. Frowning, Ed stopped as he reached his brother Al. "Where did your parents go?" Her finger fell, as did her small smile. "They died two years ago in the rain. Mama got sick and daddy did too, while helping mama." Ed closed his eyes, remembering when he'd lost his mother. "I'm sorry." Al piped up, taking her carefully from Ed's arms. "We can take care of you. You'll be fine, I promise." Shelby smiled. "Hi. I'm Shelby, who're you?" Al followed his brother nonchalantly, helping her up the ladder. "I'm Alphonse Elric... er- Al." The sun blinded the trio as they stepped out of the tunnel. Ed was amazed by the fact the no matter how sad the day could be, the sun was always up and shining. It reminded him of Al.

Shelby stayed at the hotel with Al, wearing seven year old Elysia's clothes, while Ed was at work in the day. She wasn't picky at all and actually hated being given things unless it was her birthday, which she said was November 22, a week from now. That day, Ed walked in, dropping his jacket on a chair and sighing bitterly. "Shelb needs to stay with Mustang for a week...We have a mission." Shelby glanced up from the puzzle she and Al were solving. "You have to leave?" Ed smiled at her and gave her a small hug. "For seven days. I'll come right back, so will Al." Frowning, Shelby stood up. "I want to go too." She said, dryly. "You can't." Al said quickly. "It's dangerous. Just stay with Mustang for the week and we'll come and get you the second we get home, okay?" Shelby whined quietly. "What if you don't come back? I'm scared to be alone." Ed furrowed his brows. "You'll have Uncle Mustang. Remember him? He'll be watching over you. You won't be alone." Shelby stomped on the floor. "He's always drinking at night and yelling at me to go to bed!" Al got up as Ed hurried off to the restroom, rubbing his head, to take a shower. "Shelb... it's that or Hughes. Remember last time you went to Hughes?" She scoffed quietly then looked up at her 'older brother.' "Fine. I'll go to Uncle Mustang. But I'm not gonna like it!"

**A/N: Al is going to be a bit out of character once the real drama happens, don't like it, don't read it. **

**I hoped you liked this chapter. I like it. 3 **

**Please comment and such~ **

**Enjoy it and read my other fics on here. **


	2. Painful Actions

**A/N: I had no reviews. T.T**

**But that doesn't matter because it was the first chapter!**

**Please enjoy this second chapter. **

Disclaimer: I do not own Al or Ed or any one/thing from FMA. I do, however, own Shelby and Annicka. They are mine. 3 

Al watched as Ed stepped off the train, holding his jacket over his shoulder and looking at his shoes. He usually got off last but, after hearing what Shelby had said about Colonel Mustang, he felt terrible. Edward solemnly made his way over to his little brother, and set a hand on his shoulder. "Well, let's get going! The quicker we finish this up, the shorter we'll be away." Al knew that Ed had a point, but he didn't exactly want to rush anything. He had a small gut-feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong, but being who he was, he never said a word.

They set off to a hotel just down the street, just to relax before they started their business here. Once they made it, Al sat down on a chair and looked out the window. Using Al's money, they'd paid for the biggest room they could and were now relaxing. "Stay home." Ed said, only five minutes after they'd settled. "I have something I need to do." Frowning, Al shook his head. "Where are you going, brother?" Ed smiled at his brother, walking over and hugging him. "Stop worrying so much, Al. Promise?" Al nodded slowly and Ed kissed his head, turning on his heel and walking out. He'd always been so loving but when Al got his body back, Ed couldn't help but want to be around him as much as possible. Al watched his older brother walk out the door, and kept watching until the door swung shut, but he couldn't bear to let his brother go alone, so after only a few moments, he got up and snuck out after him. He didn't want his brother to know he was following, so he tiptoed a few feet away, and when his brother turned around, he ducked behind a building, or a trash can. Finally, his brother stopped in front of a huge warehouse, that looked sort of like a barn. It had peeling paint and was completely dark and cracked. When Ed forced the door to open dust spilled from all of the cracks and it made a loud creaking noise, but he stepped inside and disappeared into the shadows.

"Brother!" Al cried, running to the doorway of the warehouse. _You just wanted to get yourself killed? _He thought, stepping into the darkness, his heart racing. As he fully stepped inside, the door slammed shut and he heard his brother turn around and say, "Who's there!?" Al didn't think he should speak up since he'd seen his brother when he was scared or surprised. Eventually, he heard his brother turn around and take a few more steps into the darkness. Slowly, Al's eyes adjusted to the darkness and he started to see outlines of boxes and his brother's figure. But suddenly, he saw another figure take form, and leap down right behind his brother. "Hello..." He heard a voice say. He almost recognized that voice, and he knew why once the lights flashed on. Envy. Ed spun around and stepped back when he saw his enemy. "What are you doing here!?" About that moment, he saw Al standing by the door, looking petrified. Poor Al had no idea what was going to happen here, but he knew Ed had come here for a reason. His brother didn't usually come to a place to get killed or hurt. "...B-brother?" Al said quietly, hoping his brother could answer his conflicts like usual.

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**Ed's Point of View**

I looked around the dark room and shuddered. I hated coming here, but I needed some money for us, and I had a box of money I'd stored here a long time ago. The door slammed shut and I spun around and saw nothing but pure blackness. "Who's there!?" I called, my heart practically jumping out of my chest, but I had no reply. After a moment of staring into the blackness I turned around and continued walking, trying to feel for the box I'd put here. Suddenly, the lights flashed on and I looked up, confused and quite nervous. "Hello." I heard behind me, and turned to look. Yes, I was scared that my mortal enemy was standing right in front of me, but I was even more scared at the fact my brother was standing, petrified, by the door behind Envy. "...B-brother?" I heard him say and I winced. He'd just given himself away. Envy turned and made some kind of face that caused my brother to step back into the door. He turned back to me and I glared at him. It'd been a while since I'd fought so I was worried I might be a bit rusty, literally, but it turns out I wasn't. Clapping my hands, I formed a blade out of my arm and stepped back a few inches, to make room for our fight. Apparently, Envy didn't want to _fight_, he wanted to _kill_. Already, there was a blade in my stomach.

"Brother!" Al screamed, frozen in his position. I closed my eyes halfway and slowly looking down at the blade, and the blood surrounding it. At first, I wanted to smile, to let my brother know I could handle this, but suddenly my whole body felt the agony. I screamed, before I even knew I was screaming, and grabbed the handle to the blade, tears slipping down my cheeks. Envy, apparently, wasn't done yet. He still held the part of the handle that I hadn't yet touched, and gave a slight twist. That's all it took to get me down on my knees. Unfortunately, Envy followed me down and smiled, saying, "you feeling alright, Edward?" I gasped and he smirked, ripping the blade from my abdomen and dropping it at my feet, then dashing off, shoving past Al and dashing out the door. I leaned my head back and groaned, covering the huge stomach-wound. "Al?" I asked, opening my tear filled eyes. I saw the blur of him, walking towards me. "Brother?" I bit my lip and put my head against the box. "It'll be okay...there's a....a box...somewhere in here. It has a lot of our stuff... get it and take it home." I felt horrible, all my life I'd tried to pretend to be strong for him, stronger on the outside than I'd ever be on the inside. "Oh....Al?" He looked at me and wrapped his arms around me, holding my head to his chest, not caring that the blood was forming a puddle beneath us. That was my brother, never caring how dirty he got if it was for the ones he cared about. "Promise you'll be okay... when I go away." Al shook his head, and I felt tears on the top of my head. "Al... you have to promise me, okay?" He nodded, reluctantly, and cried.

About that time, I closed my eyes and let out my last, shaky breath. The pain was over.

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**Al's Point of View**

The second I saw the look on Ed's face, I knew something was wrong. His eyes went wide and filled with tears, but he flashed me a small smile. Envy turned back to me and smirked, then twisted the blade, causing my brother to fall to his knees. I watched Envy kneel down and say something, that made my brother gasp. I watched him rip the blade out of my brothers stomach and run. "Brother!" I screamed, but I couldn't move. Envy shoved past me and left, smirking the whole way. "Brother..." I said, walking to him and kneeling beside him. I was horrified, but I didn't want to cry, not now. He was talking to me, as a way to calm me down I suppose. I held him close, and after only a few minutes, he let out his last breath. "Brother!" Shaking him, I let out a small whimper. "Brother..." We were sitting together in a pool of blood, and I couldn't stop crying. I held him there for hours, it seemed, before someone finally came. Almost instantly after that someone saw us, he called the hospital and my brother was taken from my arms. They told me I could come within the hour, so I just sat there, covering my face and crying. I didn't care where I was sitting, and I didn't care if I got his blood on me. I just wanted to cry. The first day here, and my brother managed to kill himself. "Why?" I asked, looking up at the roof. "Why would you let it happen?" Brother and I had never been very religious, but today, I just wanted to know why.

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A few days passed and I left the hotel. The train would be here in half an hour so I packed brother's things and my own, and got ready to leave. They'd have the funeral in Risembool, I knew that much, so that was where I was headed. Shelby could wait. In fact, I wasn't even thinking about Shelby. On the train, I knew they had his coffin somewhere in the back, it pained me to know he was back there and I was here. I tried to imagine him using the train's telephone, or maybe talking to an old friend, but I was only lying to myself.

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**General Point of View**

After the funeral, Al went back to Central and picked up Shelby. His eyes were red and puffy, and she knew something was wrong. Her 'older brother' Al never cried! And where was Ed? "Ally?" She asked quietly, her voice quivering. "Where's Ed?" Al looked at her and forced a smile. "He's in a better place now..." Shelby immediately buried her face in his jacket, and didn't care they were outside, she didn't even notice when they walked into the apartment. It seemed to her, it was her fault. She had wanted to go along because she knew something bad would happen, she didn't want to be alone. Her and Ed shared a room in the apartment because Al liked to think, but that all changed. Her and Al shared Ed's bed, since it was huge, and she tried not to cry, to be strong for Al, who cried himself to sleep every night.

_How will he ever get over this? _ She thought, tears filling her eyes late into the night while Al was already asleep. _Please... help him. _

**A/N: Tada! I win! Hah, please review guys. I like to be reviewed. 3 **


	3. Memory Erasers

**A/N: Ugh, I don't feel like such a good writer any more. xD Fanfics for anime are throwing me off. Ah well, I'll catch up to my normal self. Here goes Chapter 3. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, I only own Shelby. **

Shelby opened her eyes to a gray morning. Outside the clouds were finally spitting out the last flakes of snow for the Winter; small, star-shaped crests shattering the moment they touched the ground, forming slushy goo all over the front porches and roadways. There was only one woman, standing outside in the deserted iceland, wearing a red jacket and small black mittens. She was shoveling out the snow from her walkway, probably so that her kids could walk to school today. Shelby'd never been to school, her mama thought it was a waste of time, and living with two travelling military boys threw her off key. She got up and went to the kitchen to set out breakfast, it seemed someone had already breezed through. There was a half eaten toast on one plate and a package of bread on her side of the table, with butter sitting next to it. A small note sat between the empty, white plate and the melting butter.

_Hey Shelby... _

_I'm out getting you set up for school. The colonel said it would be best for you. _

_Love, _

_Al._

Shelby frowned. She knew the real reason why he was signing her up for school; he wanted to be alone. Ever since that day he came home without Ed, he'd lay awake in the middle of the night, watching the roof like it held little notes passed back and forth between he and his brother, written along the wall for all to see. Silently, she wondered if Ed had planned everything out for if he'd died. Only since he passed on, Al had started cleaning up, joined the military for himself and started being able to say no to someone about something.

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I'd watched him the night before last night. Though the room was pitch black and the only light was the moon, shining across the room like an un-needed night light, I still saw his tears. They reflected the moon like a dark, cold mirror, and his eyes were wide open, moving side to side like he really was reading something.

"Al?" I whispered, but he said nothing in return. "Alphonse, I'm scared. I had a nightmare."

Without saying a word, he stood up and walked over to me, scooping me up and laying me down in his bed. That night, we stared at the roof together, I was clinging to him like a baby to her mother and no matter what, no matter how tight I clung, the tears escaped. It was like I'd shattered my own little bottle of emotions, everything spilled from me like poetry and Alphonse read it out loud, very well.

"All is well." I remember him saying to me, pulling me closer. "All is well."

I looked over at him, but he was back to staring at the roof, back to reading the unwritten notes passed through the souls of two loving brothers, and I was back to crying, my face buried in the cloth that covered his chest.

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She was trying to help me, I knew it. But I couldn't take the emptiness her eyes held when they caught mine. I was frustrated from having to look into those cold, defenseless eyes every other moment. I had to get her somewhere far away from me, somewhere she'd still have me... but not.

"I need somewhere to send my baby sister for the days." I told the lady across the street from our apartment building. She was lady Shelby enjoyed watching from our second floor window. Her family was made up of her, a man and three young kids, the family was so small and so happy that it made Shelby grow fond of them.

"Well," the lady said to me, looking up towards our window and seeing Shelby looking down. "You could always send her to school. You are in the military, right? They have a school right behind the headquarters, my husband told me about it and now my kids go."

I looked up towards the window. It didn't seem Shelby was looking at us, just staring blankely at the clouds that spilled their tears of ice to the people below. "Alright, thank you very much." I said, nodding and walking off.

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**A/N: Ugh, that sucked. Sorry it's so short; you ladies now how I feel right now I'm sure. *reasons* **

**At any rate; if you read this, please review. It won't take much time at all and I'm real picky about reviewing. :3 **

**Thank you for the ones who gave me constructive criticism *AHEM* you know who you are. You actually helped. This makes more sense now. **

**And... other people who's fics I read *AHEM* Vikiofthespiritrealm. Let's work together, you post chapters in your fics and I do mine 3**

**xD I love her fics, go read them, people! **

**Click on the Reviews button and click her name. 33 xD **


	4. I'm where?

**A/N: Everyone, applaud Viki! **

**On other news, I have decided to make a big giant twist. Check this out. ~~~ **

**I'm taking y'all back in time. Teehee~**

I closed my eyes and let out my last, shaky breath. The pain was over. But was it really? I heard my brother screaming, his voice churning in my heart, tearing it to shreds from the inside out. I tried to open my eyes, my mouth at least; but nothing happened. Moments later, I heard sirens getting louder by the second, I heard my heart pounding inside my chest, but there was nothing I could do. No noise I could make that would make Al realize I wasn't gone just yet. Two men with a stretcher entered the warehouse and told Al something inaudible. One knelt down and layed his fingers against my wrist, nodded to the other and rushed me into their car. It took me a moment to realize, Al wasn't there anymore.

They sat me up as carefully as they could once we reached the hospital and, slowly, I felt a tear slip silently down my cheek. "Are you alright?" A lady asked, touching my shoulder gently. "Do you remember your name?" Idly, I opened my eyes and stared into her bright green eyes. Black, wavy hair fell to her shoulders and the paleness of her skin surprised me.

"Edward...Elric." I answered inertly. Obviously, my brain wasn't working as hard as I was begging it to. The lady gave me a soft smile, saying something I didn't quite catch, then walking away. Looking around the room, my eye caught a bay window, showing pouring rain and a dark, cloudy sky. I watched the window prosaicly, my heard caught in my throat and making it hard to swallow. Curiously, I looked down at my stomach and saw a pure, white sheet covering my body. I was obviously wearing some kind of hospital gown, because I saw my clothes on a chair in the corner. Laying my head back against the doughy pillow, I let out a shaky breath which immediately caught in my throat, along with a sharp gasp from the stabbing pain in my gut.

"Mr. Elric?" A doctor walked in, holding a clipboard. "I'm glad your awake."

"I wish I wasn't..." I responded, lifelessly. Listening to the doctor laugh, I turned away and wondered what Al was doing. What day was it?

"You've been asleep for a week. We didn't think you'd make it through. Our best team of doctors wrapped you up." He said, sounding more happy than he should sound when talking to a frustrated patient.

"Where am I?" I asked, acid burning the words before I could stop it. The doctor looked confused and shook his head.

"We found you unconscious with a nasty stomach wound out in Portland. We took you here, to Dorchester, to help you with a better hospital."

I gave him the most utterly confused look I could muster up. "I'm in....wait, what? What year is it?"

"2008. Did you lose your memory to?" He laughed and turned, walking out. My jaw dropped. "I... I.... What?"

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Al reached the school and pushed open the door. A few kids ran down the otherwise deserted hallway towards their small classroom. He smiled softly and looked towards the brick wall with the word "Office" chipped into it. He walked over and slipped quietly inside, sitting down and giving a small smile to the woman with blue eyes and brown, elbow length hair.

"What's your name sir?" She asked, her voice having a tang of sweetness that Al had never heard before. It must have formed from working with children so much, though it didn't bother Al one bit. In fact, it made his smile grow.

"I'm Alphonse Elric." He answered with the same sweetness. Her face twisted into a pained look.

"I'm Miss. Luna. I'm truly sorry for your loss. I heard about from a few parents who were talking in the hallway." She watched as Al frowned and nodded.

"It's... it's alright. He's in a better place. Are you the principal?" Miss. Luna nodded and waved him over to a desk a few feet away from where he was originally sitting. She plopped down on a chair behind the desk and folded her hands, setting them on a stack of paper in front of her.

"I'm going to assume you want to enroll someone into our wonderful school?" She'd obviously been trained to keep that smile, it was starting to get on Al's last nerve.

"Yes. Her name is Shelby...Elric." He smiled and nodded. "She's nine, but she's real mature for her age. She's matured in the past few months."

The lady unclasped her hands and gently pushed a stack of papers in front of him, smiling even brighter than before. "I really love smart children." She said, watching him fill out the papers. "Shelby. What a beautiful name. But you look a bit young to father such an old girl. You look hardly above fourteen!" Miss. Luna watched as he hung his head.

"My brother and I adopted Shelby. Her mother and father died when she was six, and her sister died a few months ago. When my brother died, I was only left with her. My father left when I was a kid, and my mother died a while after. I just want her to go to a good school, with good kids and good teachers."

Miss. Luna nodded and smiled slightly. "I'm truly sorry." She recieved a small smile from him and nodded. It seemed she was forgiven, for now.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. Ed got just the right doctor in Central to get him over here. How sweet, hm? Poor Ed. **

**REVIEW! I'm going to enter in Ch.5 so if I get none for Ch.4 now, I don't mind so much as I will if I don't get anything for Ch.5. **

**It may be a few minutes to an hour after this one goes out, so please PLEASE review this one. Thanks. **

**OH YEAH! Thanks for mentioning me in your fic Viki! But I don't think my stories are that great. *humble opportunities* xD **


	5. The Story

**A/N: As I stated in Ch.4, I'm going to upload Ch.5 as well. I'm very up for having Ed back, which is why he is back. Thanks and please enjoy~**

**Playlist (finally decided to enter):**

**Citizen Soldiers - 3 Doors Down **

**Crashed - Chris Daughtry **

**30 Minutes - T.A.T.U**

**Leave Out All The Rest - Linkin Park**

**If Everyone Cared - Nickelback**

I slowly healed, and my stomach stopped hurting within the month. The golden sun skimmed the horizon outside the bay window, and I smiled softly. "Mr. Edward Elric?" The doctor called into the doorway, stepping inside. "We've decided to discharge you from the hospital."

I picked up the British accent within the month and so I replied with: "That's great! So when do I leave?"

"Now, if you'd like to." The doctor said, smiling brightly. "We'd like to see you once more in about six months, if you don't mind."

I shook my head and smiled, sitting up. "I'll see you in six months." I watched him walk out the door, and leapt out of my bed, looking down at the healed up stitching in my stomach. Wondering what it was like to be sewing a man from a different world shut, I slipped into my normal attire; a pair of black pants, a black top and a red coat. I decided, at the spur of the moment, to leave my hair down from the braid and head out to a store or something to get some new clothes. I didn't believe the doctor when he said I was in the year 2008, until I stepped outside and saw a taxi waiting for me.

"Are you Edward Elric?" The taxi-man said as he yanked open the back door of the car. "It's nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you. Are you doing alright with that stomach wound? It was all over the news." He moved his hands in front of his face like he was viewing his name in lights. "'Boy with a random injury to his stomach, let out of the hospital today.' It was golden!" I frowned some and slid into the car.

"I'm doing fine now. I have no money for a cab. Only a bit from the doctor." The man looked at me curiously.

"You don't pay the taxi-man at a hospital. I get my money from the hospital." He laughed when he saw me blush. "It's alright, kid, you're doing fine. After a blow like that, I'm sure everyone would lose their memory. Or try to forget." He slammed the door shut, and walked around the car, sliding into the front seat of the car and starting up the engine. I stared out the window in a daze, as he drove off down the street. A long while later, I woke up to the man tapping my knee. "We're in London now, sir. You can get up."

"Oh, hm? Thank you." I opened the door and slid out, slamming the door behind me and staring up at a very large building in front of me. I heard a strange noise behind me and turned around, seeing the taxi-man roll the window down.

"That's the shopping centre. If you need some clothes, here's the place to get them." I nodded and turned back to the building.

"Thank you." I said, walking into the shopping centre and taking a look around. There were people all over the place, and I watched a few people go into a store called 'New Look.' "Hm..." I followed the group of teenagers and looked around; it seemed fine enough. I grabbed a black striped roll-up shirt, some black pants and a few other shirts and pants that I saw. I set the money down on the countertop and waited silently while they took every bit of money I held and gave me all of the clothes. "Well, there goes a hotel for the night." I muttered, and walked out with a bag in my hand.

It felt strange walking down the streets of London, with tons of beautiful cars parked outside of buildings and driving down the street. Tons of stylish people shoving past eachother on walkways, crossing streets and entering tall, wide buildings. My head felt dizzy, so I collapsed on a porch step, pulling my hair over my shoulder and setting the bag at my feet.

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_Slam! _I jumped up and turned around to see the woman from the hospital, holding the door open and looking down at me with a confused look on her face. "Why are you on my porch?" She asked with that sweet voice I supposed she inherited from her distant family members. I'd learned her name a long time ago, at the hospital. It was Lilly.

"I'm sorry, Miss. Lilly. I've got no where else to stay and the doctor hardly gave me enough money to buy some clothes." Lilly stared at me with her piercing green eyes for the longest of times before she finally spoke up.

"Come inside, then, Edward. We'll fix you up a nice cup of tea and have a small chat, is that alright with you?" I blinked at her and nodded, grabbing the bag and walking inside awkwardly.

"You know... I've noticed something about you." She said, pouring hot tea into two small tea-cups. "You remind me of my great-grandfather. He always talked about this crazy world where there was... alchemy? And he was quite silly. One day, he talked himself crazy so my mother sent him away to a home." She shook her head sadly. "Back when I was a kid, he told me about the alchemy. A dream world I would have loved to see. Up until my mother told me he was rambling a ton of nonsense, so I had to let him leave. He's gone now, but to this day I clearly remember his stories."

I watched her quietly for a moment and nodded. "May I hear one?"

She looked up from the tea, setting it back down on the stove-top and nodding slowly. "Yes, yes you may." She walked over and sat down on the couch, handing me my tea from over the coffee table. "You see... his name was Jayden Linton. He told me this story about when he was about thirty years old, and came to 'this world'" She said, expressing the quotations with her fingers in the air. " 'Now you listen to me, Lils,' he'd tell me. 'Your great-granddaddy was one of the best back in his day. See, I was an alchemist. A state alchemist to be exact. Knew two brothers, but I can't tell you their names. They were so close to eachother that I couldn't stand watching them. One day, one of the brothers came and became a state alchemist all by himself. At first I figured they had some kind of horrible fight but to this day I remember Lt. Hawkeye telling me their story.'" She watched as I closed my eyes, reminiscing Lt. Hawkeye, and actually missing everyone. It was surprising how I wasn't exactly shocked to find out that there was another from my world. "Anyways, he told me this. 'She said that his brother had died, and I needed to let up on telling him not to be so depressed. I kept telling him before that his brother wasn't going to stay mad for ever, but Lt. Hawkeye said that it was over. He was gone forever. I can remember staying up that night talking to him about what to do with his little girl, one that only I knew, he'd adopted with his brother on some mission.'"

My eyes snapped open as I remembered Shelby and Al. "Did he say a name?"

She shook her head one again. "I told you, he didn't tell me their names. I always wondered though. He said, 'Take her to school. I told him. She'll be fine with other people watching over her while you settle down and forget the past. He listened to me and now I wonder if I did the right thing. I had some business to handle over in my world, I passed out and when I woke up, I was here.' Now I don't exactly know if that was what he said, but I remember him. Jayden Linton."

I watched her closely, and frowned when she wiped a tear from her eye. "It'll be fine, Miss. Lilly. It'll all be fine."

---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***

I went home afterwords and read the paper with Shelby. "Your going to school tomorrow, Shelb."

She looked up at me with curiousity traced in her eyes. "How come?"

"I've had two agreements from two different people, that you should go. Both Lt. Linton and Miss. Shaye told me you should go. Miss. Shaye has children over there, maybe you'll be happier with some people you know."

Shelby glared. "I don't know them!"

"You watch them." I said calmly. "I'm not dead, you know. When I lay there staring above me. I'm not dead. I still care enough to watch what your doing."

Her glare faded and she looked away. "Alright, say what you will. I don't want to go to school tomorrow. I have to walk and the snow is very cold."

"You'll be fine. Miss. Shaye agreed to take you with her kids." I watched as Shelby got up and stomped off into our shared room. Sighing, I wondered what Ed was doing in Heaven right now, and if he'd even made it to Heaven.

**A/N: How do you like? *hopefulness* Please say you like it or I shall cry. **


	6. Will it ever end?

**A/N: Oh my gosh, I'm scared that if I continue this fic I'll let it all roll downhill and it'll go from good to bad!!! -hides under a table- Hheellpp! **

**Songs Played in the Conception of this Story: **

**Give Me Your Eyes - Brandon Heath**

**Like You - Evanescence**

**Leave Out All The Rest - Linkin Park**

The next morning, I woke with a sheet of cold sweat covering every square inch of my body. I was panting, and I knew I must have had a nightmare since my heart was racing three times more than usual. "What the hell was that?" I breathed out, looking at my hands, which were shaking like leaves on a windy day. Reaching over, I fumbled for the nightstand drawer handle and quickly tugged it open, grabbing a brush and standing up to tame my frizzy, blonde bedhead.

A soft knock rythmetically found it's way to the wooden door that stood between me and the living room. "Edward?" A quiet voice called, Lilly, I'd assume.

"Yes, Miss. Lilly?" I asked just as quietly, only to tease her. I was now hopping around with one leg in my pants and the comb sticking out of my mouth.

"You sound like your eating something, Edward. What are you eating?" I heard a click and spun around. The door was now open and she was standing there, her cheeks bright pink. Luckily, I'd gotten my other leg into my pants but I was still in the process of buttoning them and didn't yet have a shirt on. "Wow, Edward."

I hung my head and carefully spit the comb to the red carpet beneath me. "Sorry, Miss. Lilly."

She frowned and walked over, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Oh, please. It's just Lilly, and I walked in on you, remember?"

Thinking a moment, I nodded, she had a point there. "You're right, Lilly." I was obviously trying to forget the dream I'd had. I can't stand the realization that Al is all alone, with a ten year old child to take care of and grieving for his whole family. Shuddering, I snatched the black pinstripe shirt I'd bought the other day and pulled it on. "My head hurts."

"I have some aspirin. I'll be right back." She dissapeared through the door, leaving it open behind her.

"Aspirin..." I said, testing the word. I'd had some the night before and that may have been what brought on that dream. But I had to admit, it works wonders compared to what we used to use back in my day. _....I sound like an old man! 'Back in my day'! What is it storytime? _I sat down on the bed and rested my elbows on my knees, staring at the carpet. _I wonder what Al really is doing. _My heart skipped a beat as I realized, this may really be the end. If I'm in the year 2008, and Al is back in 1924 or whatever year it is now, we may never see each other ever again. Germany was a different story completely. A whole new century is... impossible.

"I got some!" Her singsong voice entered my room as she tiptoed inside, holding a cup of water in one hand and a round, red pill in her other hand. "This'll make you feel better, promise!"

I took the aspirin quickly and fought it down my throat, then got up and smiled at her. "If it's alright with you, I think I'll go on a walk. I'll be back sooner or later."

"Yes, please do. You'll never see the sun at the rate you're going." She handed me a small envelope. "Here's some money. Get groceries, clothes and try to find a job, alright? We need someway for you to pay back for your room here."

I laughed and walked to the door, blowing her a kiss, an inside thing. "Alright then, good bye."

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I woke up today, a school day, and looked over at Al with a hopeful look in my eye. Maybe sending me to school would make him happier? He still lay there, like a banned prince reminiscing the past, just staring at the ceiling. Walking to the closet, I grabbed a white t-shirt and some black pants. "I'm going to school." I said softly, only to recieve complete silence. I felt tears sting at my eyes, but I fought it and walked to the door. It was my first day of school and I wasn't going to let his cold shoulder hurt me.

Suddenly, I felt the warmth of someones hands around me. "Have fun." He whispered in my ear, holding me tightly. "I love you, Shelb."

I looked back at him and smiled softly. "Love you too, Ally."

He let me go long before I wanted him to, and kissed my head just like Ed had to him. "Bye."

I waved and dashed out the door, now I was excited. My stomach was filled with butterflies and I wondered how many kids I'd meet that were just like me!

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After a while, I pushed the door open to the school entrance and looked around. It smelled like lemons and clay, and for some strange reason, that smell made me smile.

I reached the classroom that the lady in the office had told me to go to, and met Ms. Lando, who had the biggest frown on her face than I'd ever seen in my life. She waved to me and walked back to her desk, looking down at a sheet of paper in front of her. Silently, she pointed to an empty chair between a girl with ribbons in her hair, and a boy with super baggy, dirty clothes. "Hello." I said, smiling at them as I sat down.

"Hi." The boy sniffled, rubbing his nose. "I'm Cale. That's Miranda." He pointed to the fancy girl to my right and I smiled.

"I'm Shelby. Shelby....Elric." I was still wondering if I should say Shelby Jolie or Shelby Elric, but I settled on Elric for school-time. No one knew that Al hadn't really adopted me completely yet, no one needed to know. Al needed me, I couldn't be taken away.

Cale stood up and walked to the other side of the room, coming back with a blue book in his hands. I watched him curiously. "This is yours. Ms. Lando told me when you came I haf ta get it for you." He sniffled some and continued. "It's just a workbook. I dun really know what's it for but she has us use it lots."

I watched him, he talked so informally. "Oh, um, thanks." I took it and flipped through it. A good part of it was arithmetic, and only some of it was literature. "Is Ms. Lando nice?" I asked him, my voice hardly above a whisper.

"Not really." He said back, looking over at her. "We haf ta do our own work and she don't help us. You'll get used ta it."

"Of course, I will." I looked over at Miranda with a pleading look in my eyes, but she had her head down, writing away in the workbook. "M-Miranda? I'm Shelby. Can you help me?"

Miranda looked up and scowled. "Must I? Can't you do your own work?"

Putting my head down I tried to remember how nice Ed had been to me before he dissappeared. How nice Al had been before he fell into his abyss of depression. Nowadays all he ever wants to do is argue, sit around or read imaginary writing on the walls.

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"I hated today!" I shouted, slamming the front door shut behind me and dropping my bag on the floor. "It's stupid!"

Al got up and glared at me. "You should be thankful you get to even go to school, Shelby!" He said, walking to the kitchen.

"Yeah? What else should I be thankful for? For my brother being a jerk? I'm ten, he doesn't do anything but sit around or yell at me! That's not like you, Alphonse!" I groaned and stomped off to my room, which was really both of our rooms.

Unfortunately, he followed and sat on the bed, his lips pursed. "And what would you rather me do, Shelb? Baby you?"

"I just want attention."

"And I just want my brother back!" I saw tears well up in his eyes and I felt sorry immediately. "No one gets what they want, do they Shelby!?"

We'd been through this a lot and apparently I still didn't get it. "I'm sorry Ally." I got up and wrapped my arms around his neck, standing there for what felt like hours while both of us cried. Al had tried to be strong for me, but we couldn't both be strong, so we both broke and I had gone from the only one left who was brave and strong, to a mourner as well.

**A/N: Reviews or no new chapters. Loves to all 3 **

**By the way, if this chapter sucks...Forgive me. It's late, I'm tired, it's a school night, I'm sick and I'm in a dark room. No light but the computer screen, so my head hurts. Love you all~ Have a good week. **


	7. I Love You so Much Al

**A/N: I'm nervously continuing this chapter thanks to the many reviews I've been getting. Wish me luck!**

I walked down the street, watching the concrete beneath my feet. My hands were in my pockets, sliding along the ridges of the coins Lilly had given me, and the cell phone she'd bought me while she was in the market last week. I glanced up towards the sun, watching the clouds mask the sunlight and darkening the city, leaving us all in a sheet of grey until the cloud moved on and let the sun light our world again. Stopping, I turned slowly to the glass doors that stood between me and the shopping centre I was about to enter. _Smack! _Even I wouldn't have expected that, these doors are see through, aren't they? "I'm so sorry!" I heard a small girls voice call from above me. Looking up, I saw Shelby, and stood up, stumbling back. That's when she came fully into view; she just looked like Shelby.

I hung my head. "It's alright, I've had worse." I said, choosing my words carefully. I didn't want to start any unwanted, childish conversations about who has had what worse than whom.

"Oh... I'm Shelby, I just moved here from America." So, that's why she had a strange accent. I was trying to ignore her first name. "My grandpa's in the military, so he moved us here. Are you in the military?" I narrowed my eyes at her then sighed.

"No, I was. But, I really have to get going now, alright? Maybe I'll see you another time." I took a small step forward, when she continued unexpectedly.

"My daddy's dead, and my grandpa came from Germany, so he speaks rough English, maybe you'd like to meet him sometime?" I furrowed my brow at this child.

"Yes, sure. How about tomorrow?" She gave a swift nod, wrote her address down in pen on my hand, then dashed off down the street. I continued into the shopping centre and looked around for a place to sign up for a job.

*******

I signed up for twelve different jobs, knowing only a few would hire me and I could simply choose between them. I glanced down at my hand and smiled some, she was adorable. The ink was a bit smudged since it'd been written yesterday, but now that I was awake and fully dressed, I'd head over to the girls place. "Lilly?" I called down the stairs as I walked down. "I need to know where this place is."

She met me in the middle of the stairwell and smiled, drawing me a crude map and sending me out on my way, with nothing but a breakfast bar for a meal. I walked for hours, and the sun was burning high in the middle of the sky before I finally made it to a small, red house in the middle of no where. All cars had stopped at the dead end about two miles back.

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Alphonse looked so down today. There he sat, on a Saturday morning, staring out the window and watching the clouds move various directions throughout the day. "Ally?" I asked, sick of the silence.

"Yes?" He asked, finally looking at me with his cold, steely eyes. I turned down and grabbed my backpack from beside my feet.

"I have homework, and... I need to get it done. C-could you help me out?" I stammered, peeking up to see his response. He simply turned back to the window, motioning with his hand for me to sit beside him.

Slowly, I plopped down next to him and set the backpack in my lap, leaning over and resting my chin on the top. "Let me see your work." He said plainly, and I carefully laid the papers out in front of him. One by one, he picked them up and tore them all into shreds, then wrapped his arms around me, as I stared incredulously. "You won't be going back to that school."

"Thanks, Ally." I said quietly. I hadn't told him about my bullies, but he'd probably guessed I wasn't really running into any doors and getting black eyes.

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I carefully knocked on the door, keeping my head down. "Hello." I heard a rusty voice say as the door swung open in front of me. Slowly, I looked up and stepped back a few steps. His eyes were a greyish blue, his hair a coppery-brown color. The old man seemed a bit surprised as well, possibly more than I was.

"Who is it?" I heard the girl from before call, her voice getting louder as she ran up to the door behind the old man. "Oh, grandpa! I looked him up, this is Edward Elric. Edward, this is Alphonse El...ric..."

My eyes went wide and I turned my back to them. "It can't be." I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest faster than it ever had before.

"I am him." Al said, nodding to me. There were tears in his eyes, I could tell by the tightness of his voice. He'd followed me here.

**A/N: Ah hah hah. I plan to twist this rp more than ever. **

**Please review or there will be no more chapters! :3**


	8. Please, explain

**A/N: I'm continuing now. I was so happy to hear that I had a Story Alert set for my fic. Thanks so much guys, for all of your support. :3 Please enjoy this next chapter. I hope, once again, that it doesn't destroy the whole fic. **

His eyes were glazed over in a thin film of tears, and I watched mutely as a drop slid cautiously down his cheek. "Who are you really!?" I snapped, my voice sounding a bit more harsh than I intended. Obviously, this man was _retired _from the military, but why had he joined in the first place, and how did he know my brother well enough to pretend to be him? The small child looked up at me with the same wide, golden-hazel eyes that had stared at me years back in that cold, damp tunnel.

"He's Alphonse Elric." Her melodic voice cracked my heart into uncountable shards. "He really is. He came, and he waited for you." I watched her, doubtfully. Truth was, I believed her with all my might, Alphonse was the type to do something like this, but who was she?

"Who are you, then?" I whispered. "You can't be my Shel--"

"She's dead." The rusty voice broke through my train of thought. "Shelby was killed, brother, during a mission. She snuck along and got herself caught." He was staring straight at me, it seemed as if he was keeping his bearings. "I'm sorry, brother." Slowly, my hands found their way to my ears and I shook my head.  
Alphonse looked confused. "Brother, I'm old and dying. The only thing that's kept me alive this long was knowing I'd see you again."

I felt my emotions betray me as a waterfall of tears rolled down my cheeks. "It can't--"

"Come in!" The girl called, obviously trying to escape the emotional outbursts. "It's getting too cold for us to be gathered around on the porch." She led me inside, then gently grabbed Al's arm and led him to his chair in the far corner of the room. "I'm really sorry you guys had to meet like this. Edward, I knew all along who you were. I'm really sorry how this all had to work out. I'm not Shelby...my name is Callie. Grandpa had seen you while he was out on his daily walk, and he just knew."

Watching her, my heart starting to feel heavier and heavier. I was beginning to realize that even if I made it back home, I didn't know when Al had come here, so I may never see my brother the way I'd like to remember him ever again. Wiping away my tears carefully, I sniffed in the minty air and leaned my head back against the chair I'd sat down in. "A-Alphonse? W-when did you leave home, and how?"

Alphonse shook his head. "I think those questions are better left unanswered, brot-"

"You have to tell me Alphonse!" I shouted, standing up, my hands clenched into tight fists. I felt a warm liquid seeping out over my finger nails and knew I must have dug into my palms a bit too hard this time.

"Brother, I left a while after Shelby passed." He smiled some and nodded. "I still remember how eager I was. I thought I'd find you and come back. I joined the military thinking you'd cause trouble here too, but there was never a flutter of gossip about any blond, braided maniac." His smile slid away. "Decades later I decided it was hopeless. You'd gone somewhere I'd never see and I wasn't in the right world. Maybe you had died. The only way I guessed was because of Roy, talking about how they couldn't find your body after you'd been in the morgue for a few hours."

My lower lip was quivering by now, and I felt like a babbling idiot, but I had to know how much time I had left to get home and stop him. "How old were you Al? And how old was I when I died?"

"You were your same age, brother. Twenty. You haven't aged a bit. I was about twenty-seven when I came. A long time after you died. I decided I didn't want to take it anymore, so I found the right people and made the wrong decision."

Sitting in the chair, I calculated behind my back how much time I had left. I could stay here for possibly five more years, then there'd be no reason whatsoever for me to even try to get up and go.

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Grabbing my jacket, I stepped towards the door, tying my hair in a tight ponytail for the first time in a long while. "Shelbs, I'll be back in about a week. You know where Mustang is, just go straight over when you get dressed."

"I'm going too!" She called back from the end of the hallway as she dashed out into the front room. "Don't leave me behind." I watched as she pulled her white jacket on over her black long sleeves and white skirt.

"You can't go. Honestly, you'll get hurt, Shelbs." I protested but she simply gave me that quick smile that told me, 'Nah, I insist.'

After a moment of staring at eachother in utter silence, I gave a slight nod and turned to the door. "Let's go then."

"Yes!" She whispered, pushing past me and racing out the door. She let out a heavy breath while watching me lock the door, and her breath came out in white, icy swirls.

"Watch out for yourself though. This shouldn't be too bad of a mission but when I say 'stay at the hotel' you WILL stay at the hotel, got it?" She rolled her eyes and nodded, too eager to really give me her whole attention. The only time she'd ever been on a mission was when it was just barely outside of town and it was just an errand to get Roy Mustang something.

***********************

Stepping onto the train, I took her bags and pushed them into the luggage shelf above our heads. "It's going to be a very long ride, Shelbs, so be ready. You may want to take a nap because we've got to get to work once we get there."

Quickly, she obeyed me and leaned her head against the frost-bitten window, her eyes closed and her mind ready to dream. I watched her eyelids flutter every few hours or so, and how she moved positions every half-hour. I admired how her hands stayed, clasped over her stomach like an old-style seat belt and it looked as if every problem in the world was resolved to her. Little did I know, she'd not have to worry for long.

For, once we made it to the station, I shook her awake and she bolted up and out the door before I could even finish telling her to be safe. She was just like brother, always needing to travel and I knew she'd do nothing but travel all around the world if she had the right to.

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She fell in love with the hotel the moment we stepped through the large, oak door that seperated us from the hallway and our new room. There were two medium-sized beds, sitting against the wall farthest from the large window that engulfed a whole wall. The floor was a light-tan creamy colored wood and there was a large wardrobe closet sitting near the entry-way. "It's so big!" She called, looking up at the vaulted ceiling. Whoever made this hotel must really enjoy being upper class. "I love it, Ally! Can we move here and live here forever?"

Shaking my head, I laughed and sat down on one of the cotton-soft beds. "Mm, soft beds too." I mumbled, leaning back and stretching.

"Don't get too lost in though, Ally. Don't forget you said we have a lot of work to do when we get here." Sitting up and nodded and got up, tired beyond words, and walked zombie-like towards the door. "Can I go with you now, Ally?"

"Yes, come along." I said, waving her to my side and stepping out into the hallway, which was carpeted with plush, white carpet. "We just need to survey what's been happening around her. Do not speak up, okay? Keep your mouth shut, you could get killed." I watched Shelby nod and, trusting her greatly, I turned back to the stairs and stepped down to the exit of the building. Once outside, it didn't look fancy at all, like we'd entered some kind of alternate universe.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

People sat around in small groups, dirt smudged on their faces and cuts and bruises all over their legs and arms. They looked battered and their clothes were ripped up and dirty along with their bare feet. Many kids turned to look at the two clean people who stepped carefully out of their most expensive hotel. Rich people dreamed of sleeping in that hotel, it was so pricey, and only a tourist could afford something like that. Two men got up and walked towards the innocent tourists, one small girl and a tall man with a ponytail, and encircled them rudely. "So ya gots yerself some money, eh?" One man asked, spitting brown spit on the ground at the girl's, Shelby's, feet. Alphonse looked over, putting an arm around Shelby protectively.

"No, sir. We've no money. Simply a stroke of luck, enough to get ourselves here." Alphonse lied, thinking quickly. Shelby looked, confused, towards her older brother and then back towards the man who'd spit that brown gunk at her toes.

"What's your name, sirs?" She asked, watching the small space betwixt them, rather than the actual men themselves.

"I'm Hunt and that there's Horst. We gots our eyes on ya folks. Better watch yer backs." Hunt turned on his heel and stomped away, spitting one last glob of brown goop on the ground beside him.

"That's disgusting." Shelby said, walking with Al's arm around her shoulders. "Who can suck on that stuff?"

Alphonse glanced over at her and silenced her with a simple finger to his lips. Men and women alike were staring at the two 'high-class' tourists, looking as if they desired more than just the money that Alphonse had pretended he didn't have. "Oh how disgusting!" She called to a small boy who was relieving himself on a building, nude in public. Alphonse stared at her, wishing she would shut up.

"Ya gots a problem with that kid, there?" She heard Hunt's voice behind her, and turned quickly.

"Why yeah, I does." She said, smart alecly. She'd always been the kind to hate when people talked to her like that, all she was doing was making a point. Hunt spat next to her and grabbed her shirt collar, picking her a few feet off the ground, Horst yanking out a gun and laying the cold metal against her temple.

"You best watch your tongue, lil lady or yer askin' fer death!" Alphonse stared at them, then quickly put his hands up in surrender.

"Come on, let's not start this. She's just grumpy, she hasn't slept well lately. Forgive her, she'll hold her tongue around men with more respect from now on, I'll be sure of it." Shelby glanced over, eyes only, to Al.

"Says who!? They're disgusting to pee on someone's house like that!"

"Ya eva tried bein' in that position, girley? Maybe ya oughtta try not goin' fer a while and see how it feels not to go anywheres else!"

Al shook his head. "Look, why don't you just put her down and we'll be on our way. She just wanted to make a point, it wasn't disgusting, he had to do it." Horst held the gun up in the air and pointed it at Al.

"We're standin' up fer our brethren! Ya gots nuffin' else but neighbors 'round here! We ain't gonna let this girley down with a warnin' for embarrassing our lil boy!" Alphonse chewed on his lip. He could understand not wanting to let others mortify the only family you had, but to kill or torture a little girl for it?

"Alright, we get it. We apologize, now please let us be on our way." _BANG! _Alphonse flinched and looked towards Horst, who had the gun pointed in the air now.

"Kill her, Horst-y." Hunt snickered. "Shoot the girley, or take her. What's yer decision?" Horst patted Shelby's head and looked into her eyes for a moment.

"Take her." He said. "We'll kill 'er later, and when we do, we'll let this ol' man know. Kay, kid?" Alphonse shook his head.

"No! Don't take--" Before he could finish his sentence, they were gone.

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"Those were the worst days of my life." He said, tears glazing his eyes once again.

"How do you know she died, Al?" Ed asked. He was up, holding his grief-stricken brother tightly.

"They sent me a letter later, said 'she's dead now, quit looking.' I never was able to see if they meant it."

Ed nodded and smiled. "She could still be alive Al. Back home. And if you help me get back there, in our time, we'll be perfectly fine, all three of us." He looked at the small girl that had obviously been adopted for the shear reason that she looked just like Shelby Jolie.

"What about me?" Said girl asked. "I'll be all alone. Al would have never come and saved me."

"But someone who belongs here would."

"I'll give it some thought, brother. On one condition, you stay at this house until you get back home, alright?"

"Agreed." I said, putting out my hand for a handshake and smiling at my brother.

**Whoo! I've been writing since ten, it's midnight, I'm EXHAUSTED. If you read; review. Please? **

**No new chapters until you review. Please enjoy! I'm scared. :3**


	9. Flashback to the Past

**A/N: Quickly submitting a new chapter. Ugh, my tummy hurts. Once again, I truly hope this doesn't ruin the whole fic as I work. Well, here goes. Please review if you read this. I enjoy reading reviews; bad or good :3 **

His shaky hand pressed against the cold, frosted window, as he stared into the darkness of the night with his cloudy hazel-blue eyes. His lips trembled, as if saying a silent reminder to himself, then he leaned his forehead to the glass and was quiet for a moment. Edward watched his brother do this, in the dead of the night, wondering when his brother would notice him seated there in the corner. He'd been unable to sleep and had come out for a glass of water, but paused and took a seat when he saw his brother leaning against the window and whispering unheard promises.

"Alphonse." He finally spoke up, after watching his brother reminisce the past for much too long. Alphonse turned his head slowly and gave the soft smile, only recognized between the two brothers, which was enough for Edward to nod and turn back to his glass of icy water.

After another hour of silence, Edward rose to his feet and slipped to his brother's side to gaze out the window in mourning. "I miss her." Alphonse said, putting a hand up to hold Edward's. "I miss everyone. I should have never come here, huh brother? I should have waited for you to come home. You would have known how." Edward chewed on the inside of his cheek, then leaned over and put his forehead on his brothers head.

"Shh, Al. Come to bed, you've got to sleep sometime." He grabbed his brother's old, arthritis-ridden hand and pulled him out of the wooden chair. "Please, Al, cooperate. Shelby wouldn't have been too happy to know you were wasting away, staring out a snowy window. Let's go." He tugged a bit more, finally coaxing Al into his room, then sat down on a chair beside the bed.

"I'll stay up, you know." Al said, looking over and smirking at his exasperated brother. "No matter how hard you try, I'll stay up." Edward hung his head and shrugged a bit, a sign that he'd given up trying.

"Alright, stay up if you want. I'll just talk with you. So, tell me about everything, please." Edward leaned over, his elbows on Al's bed now. He seemed very engaged in their new conversation and he planned to force everything out of Al if he had to.

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I stood there, staring at the foot prints the men had left, and the long path from where Shelby's shoes had dragged along the ground. Taking a step forward, I put my hand against my forehead, as if I was saluting, and attempted to see how far they'd gone. "Hey kiddo!" I heard an old woman say, jumping back a bit when her frozen, shaking hand touched against my arm.

"H-huh? Oh... um... hi there." I tried to smile, but the lady knew that my twitchy smirk was the best she'd get.

"Yer girl there, I don't care too much that she's rude... but if ya do find 'er, talk to 'er. I'm sure they won't kill 'er jus' yet." She gave me the best smile she could conjure up, and patted my back. "Take care, boy, go find that girl."

I smiled back and turned back to the path, which had vanished in the wind. Letting out a deep breath, I went back to the train station. Forgetting the mission, I boarded a train, tears in my eyes, and sat down in the far back, where nearly no one sat. I planned to get back home and have a small conference with Roy Mustang, who was rude enough to Shelby to have her learn the terrible language she'd used with these men.

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"Well, just a moment. I have a visitor. Yes, I'll call you back." _Click._ He hung up the phone and glanced up at me. "Yes, Alphonse? Aren't you supposed to be on a mission right now? Far, far away from Central."

"Yes." I said, gritting my teeth as a way to tell him I was both holding back tears, and trying not to get up and beat the crap out of this cat-eyed freak. "Tell me; how did you talk around Shelby, sir? What did you say that made her talk in rude ways." Roy Mustang cocked his head to one side, in confusion, then slowly shook his head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Alphonse."

"You're a liar!"

"I'm a liar?"

"Sir, she talked, _just _the way _you'd _talk to someone who was rude to you. _Just _the right way to get her taken from right under my nose! What did you say to her, sir!?"

"I should have known the death of your brother would take you to unspeakable levels. Alphonse, I know you're angry about Shelby right now, but there's something I've been meaning to tell you, about your brother." I chewed on my lip, watching him carefully. Then, when he was completely silent, I nodded as if to tell him to speak now or forever hold his peace. "Your brother...he went missing from the morgue only a few weeks prior to getting there."

My eyes went wide. "W-why did you wait to tell me for this long, sir? I mean... what do you mean went missing!? Where could a...dead...body could have gone?"

"I waited because I knew it'd be a sensitive topic. He was surely dead, Al. We did as many tests as our technology could run, and he was most definitely dead. We don't know where a corpse could have gone." I winced at the way he smoothly said 'corpse' as if my brother was some kind of test subject. "Anyway," he continued, noticing my wince. "We looked everywhere. He's just gone. Someone either kidnapped him or... something else could have happened."

"What kind of something else, sir?"

"Well, there's been rumors of... people going back."

"Back...where? Where brother and I were?"

"Yes, Alphonse. And, I think someone may have taken him there."

"So what do I do, sir? Do I go there?"

"Absolutely not!" He said, standing up. "If he's alive over there, and sees you, he'll wring my neck, Alphonse! Give him time and he'll figure out how to get back here for you."

"Sir, he's my brother. I'll do what I have to do." Standing up, I waved to him sweetly, grabbed my jacket off the chair and dashed out the door before he could say another word. -- As I walked down the street towards my apartment, I wondered what Shelby was doing.

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"This is what we were talkin' about, girley. Why couldn't ya act like this outside?" A man snarled in my face. The only thing I noticed was the fishy smell of his breath, I never once heard a word he said. They'd spent the night yelling at me, testing me out and trying to see if I was capable of being respectful. Being the child that I am, I had to obey them, I couldn't just let them knock me around forever.

"Ya got quite a test subject there, ol' Horst!" I heard Hunt's heavy boots, clopping down the wooden stairs of this strange, old house. Judging by the looks of it, these people didn't know much about vinegar to clean the windows, maybe something for the dust all over the floor. And the....was that blood? I cringed back as one of Hunt's boots slammed down over a rather large spot of blood, right in front of me. "'Ey lil girley. Nice to see ya behavin' finally. What took ya so long? Wanna see yer brother again?" I nodded silently and he knelt down in front of me. "Too bad."

That's about the moment when I realized, he was in an army uniform. "Y-you're in the military?" I asked quietly. No wonder he had tobacco, while no one else in the streets could afford such a thing. What a luxury, to be in the military.

"Yeah, girley. I'm in the military. Ya gots a problem with it?" I shook my head and he roughly patted my head. I winced; it was the same part of my head that'd been slammed into the wall a couple of times. "Good girley. What's yer name 'afore I have to get back to work."

"S-Shelby Elric."

"Great. Horst, we gots another Elric on our hands." Horst shuddered and grabbed my arm tightly.

"Get up! We're sending you elsewheres. We don't need no trouble with that Elric boy."

Tears filled my eyes and I obediently followed him out the doors into the bright sun, which blinded me for a moment. My heard was pounding in my chest and I felt nauseous.

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Edward was sitting, tears clouding his vision. "Al, Shelby is still alive. She's got to be. So I'm going to go back home, and you're not going to hurt anymore." Al grabbed his hand and shook his head.

"Brother, do _not _go back! You can't. It's too late. She's gone, I'm gone. Knowing your luck, you won't make it in our normal time. You'll end up way too far in the future and mess everything up, brother. It's too late."

"Shut up, Alphonse!" Edward set, jumping out of his chair. "I'm going home and you aren't going to do anything to stop me, Al!" He turned to the door and started to walk when a loud click froze him. Slowly, he turned back to his brother, who was up, leaning against a chair with a gun pointed directly at Edward.

"I'm not, am I? Edward Elric, you'll mess everything up if you walk out that door. You can _not _go!"

"Put the gun down, Alphonse. You're going to hurt someone."

"No! I won't let you go!"

"You have to Al, it's not up to us anymore! Do you love Shelby or not?"

"Y-yes, of course."

"Then I'll see you in about negative eighty or so years." He turned and stomped out the door, followed by his slow, steady brother, still holding the gun.

"And how will you get there?"

"Please, I'm not retarded. I can get there on my own."

"Yes, you're right. You're not. But you aren't sane."

"You're the one pointing the gun at me Alphonse! Have too many years of solitude gone to your head!? I'm your freaking brother and you've got a gun to my head! I'm going to fix this, and do my job, which I should have done years ago!" Alphonse lowered the gun a bit and Edward opened the door. "Alright, fine. Go." I smiled and nodded.

"I love you Alphonse."

"Yes, you do."

_BANG! _

**Dun dun dun. Well, what happened? Review. Do you want Edward to make it back and make everything right again or do you want him to die and this end up a tragic drama, with everyone dead in the end. Limit for the next chapter: 3 reviews. More would be nice. But try 3 for me. :3 **

**DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW! I have a traffic thingie for how many people read and I'm not even getting half as many reviews as the people who read my fics. xD Please, enjoy. Viki, I sent a message...how do I check my own inbox? T.T **


	10. It's all over now

**A/N: Thanks to my reviewers, counting me, I will put the last chapter. **

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or it's anythings. :3 

_"Fine, I'll go to Uncle Mustang, but I'm not gonna like it!" _My eyes snapped open, and I stared at the vaulted ceiling above me. I was back in the old apartment, holding Shelby's bear, the one she couldn't live without. _"I'm scared to be all alone." _Closing my eyes, I rubbing my forehead and sat up. My hands were trembling like little leaves, and my head was throbbing.

"I'm sorry, Shelby." I whispered, grabbing a glass of water and leaning, hunched over the counter like some kind of drunk. "Forgive me."

_"Say what you will, Ally. It's stupid." _Looking over, I took a rather long gulp of water, listening as my heart fluttered like a baby bird.

"I won't let them hurt you. Just let me get brother, he'll come, he has to."

_"He won't come back." _Her voice was everywhere.

That night I lay in bed, listening to the chatter of two souls, in different worlds, chatting away all night long. So, Shelby wasn't dead just yet, her spirit was unattatched, along with Edward's, who must be the second ghost in the room tonight.

_"He misses you." _

_"I can't come home."_

_"You've got to. He could waste away without you." _

_"I can't come home." _

_"You can't say that!" _

_"I can, and I am. I can't come home." _

_"You've got to come home." _

_"I'm sorry, Shelby." _

_"You have to save me. I'm scared to be all alone. You have to help me." _

_"I'm sorry."_

Slowly, the voices dispersed into the air, seeming farther and farther apart with every word. Shelby and I needed Edward, and Shelby needed him the most, being stuck as a hostage in some creepy mans home and all. "I won't let them hurt you." I whispered, closing my eyes.

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"We gots the perfect place fer ya, girly. Ain't no one gonna find ya here. Not even yer lil guy friend." The man spat, sitting down next to me and patting my head once again with his dirty, brown hand. I cringed away, and he grabbed my knotted hair in his fist, tugging me back. "Shh, girly, my friends gonna take good care of ya. Dun give her no trouble, or I'll be the first ta know!"

"Yes sir." I mumbled, watching him stand straight and walk out the door. I'd been through so much this past few days. So much for saving myself for that special guy, now that was all over and done with, and the abuse would be scarce if I was a good girl. Well, what he considered a good girl.

"Hello!" I heard a melodic woman's voice call down the steps as she slipped down the stairs to the basement where I was hidden. She was as light as a feather and carried herself more professionally than a cat! Her hair was waist long and a dark black-brown color, her eyes a bright blue with the smallest pupils ever. "I'm Miss. Conolly. How old are you, sweetie?"

"I'm Shelby Elric... I don't remember anymore." She frowned at me, my eyes were half closed and I looked disoriented. It was probably all of those beatings to the head. But, of course, she had no idea any of this.

"Horst told me all about the ordeal with those boys out in the street. Don't worry, you have a home now." My eyes opened up a bit further, one of them swollen shut from a hit, and the other just tired and dizzy.

"Boys... yes... of course, those boys." I lied, quicker than I'd ever lied before. "I remember them. They were so mean to me." I couldn't help feeling closer to this woman than ever before, and I carefully wrapped my arms around her neck and allowed her to pick me up and carry me into her house. She took me and washed me up, then carried me to a guest room and set me down for some 'much needed rest.'

"The soldiers will be back to get you tomorrow. Your only staying nights with me, sweetie." She told me, smiling. "They'll take care of you."

Staring at her, I slowly shook me head. "You'll never understand…" I whispered, as she rose from my new bed and sauntered off out the door. "never."

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Al watched the window helplessly, wishing he could see the nice family walk out again. Possibly to see something Shelby may miss in her absence. Trying to see what it was that she saw in them in the first place. It was the middle of the night, so he wasn't expecting to see any member of the family any time soon, but suddenly a big, bulky man stomped out of the house. "I'm tired of all this crap, Jeanette." Al heard him say, in a large, rumbling voice. The small woman, the mother of the children, dashed out after him and touched his large arm.

"Then don't come back." She said, turning and going inside and slamming the door behind her. Al flinched, and his smile turned to a frown. Shelby would come back to no more happy families.

"I have to get Edward." He said, rising from his chair. "I have to." He turned and dashed out the front door, never to be seen by Central again.

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Edward spun around at the sound of the gun, and his jaw dropped. "A-Al…" The gun was lying in the old man's limp hand. His eyes were closed, and there was blood; sprayed all over the wall from the gruesome head wound. He wanted more than anything to run to his beloved brother's side, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had to keep going, but that was when Callie chose to walk out into the hallway.

"Gran--" Her curious expression turned into a look of fear and shock. Running to the phone, Edward watched her dial a short number and stand still for a moment, shaking harder than a leaf. Edward chose this time to race out the front door, and he kept running and running until he got a small idea of what he needed to do to get home.

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_"What's wrong, Edward?"_

_"I want to go home." _

_"Do you now?"_

_"...Yes." _

_"Why do you want to go home, Edward?" _

_"I have to fix something." _

_"Is something broken?" _

_"Everything. My life. My soul." _

_"Go home, Edward." _

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We were sitting together in a rather large, warm puddle of blood, and I carefully lay my head against the crook of Al's elbow. Opening my eyes slowly, Al gently pulled me up against him and cried into my chest. "Al..." I whispered. "It's alright." I couldn't seem to get my voice out correctly, so I settled for a slight whisper, but it was enough for Al to move away from me and smile.

"Brother? You're okay?" I nodded carefully, not believing it myself.

"It hurts a lot...." I said, while the hospital men came in and put me up on a stretcher. One of the hospital men leaned over me, checked my vitals and told something to Al that sounded like, 'Come in an hour or so.' Then they carried me off into a car. After a while of driving, and them checking every bit of me that was possible, they pulled me out and dragged me into a rather large, white building and sent me to a room in the ICU, to be wrapped up and watched carefully.

An hour later, Al came in to the room and put a hand on mine. "Brother, I was so scared you were dead." His teeth were chattering, and his hands were shaking, but I reached over and snatched his hand tightly in my own.

"I had the worst dream, Al. You and Shelby... you two died. First Shelby, then you came to find me, and I was in England or something. You stayed for decades before you finally saw me, and then you shot yourself, Al... You killed yourself."

That's when Envy decided to reveal himself, it wasn't truly Al at all. "That wasn't a dream, Edward Elric. It was all real."

My eyes went wide as I pulled my hand away from him. "What?" I sat up quickly and Al grabbed my arm.

"Brother, you're going to hurt yourself." Shivering, I lay back down. I could have sworn I just saw Envy, but no one was in the room. Just me and Alphonse.

"Al, I'm scared." I whispered, three times before I could shut myself up. Al held me in his arms and smiled.

"It's okay now. I'll never have to go find you because you're here."

"Where's Shelby?"

"She's at home."

"Can we go see her?"

"Yes, brother." He stood up, grabbing my hand, and we walked out the doors from the hospital and towards the train station.

_To this day, I still remember walking out those doors. We made it home, but Shelby wasn't there. Mustang said she'd freaked out during the night and run away. I remember searching all over for her, and not finding a single person who even knew who Shelby was besides Mustang, Al and I. I remember us going to the apartment, lost in thought, as I told him the story of England and my escape. _

_**I guess it's a lie when they say someone will come to rescue you. I sit here, my own child in my hands, born from that nasty soldier and his ways. I'm in a cold room now, just the baby and me in our own tiny apartment in Central. Of course, no one recognizes me. I've been beaten and have my own child. But I swear to keep telling Aleas, or Aly, everything about the two princes who would soon come rescue me. After all, I'm only fourteen. **_

**The end. Hope you liked it. Maybe if your lucky I'll make another fic. Please review. I'd really appreciate that. This wasn't the best fic I've ever done but I've learned from this fic to make due with what I've got. **

**By the way... have you ever heard the phrase: Don't sleep when Angry. **

**Don't do it :3 **

**REVIEW OR I SHALL MAKE ENVY EAT YOU! **


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